Going back to the days when Fishers was a town, there were renderings and visions of what South Street might look like in the downtown Fishers’ Nickel Plate District.  A major step in developing the south side of downtown Fishers happened Wednesday afternoon with the groundbreaking ceremony for the District South Project.

District South is a development with the City of Fishers, Rebar Development and the Annex Group all involved in the construction plans for the $33 million project.

The Annex Group plans to relocate up to 40 full-time employees to a four-story, 15,060 square foot class-A office space in the center of the village. There are 42 residential loft apartments on the upper floors of the building with a shared rooftop outdoor patio, cafe, and work from home lounge.

The four surrounding buildings in the village include a mix of apartment homes and commercial suites designed for small businesses. Residents, entrepreneurs, and employees located in District South will share luxury amenities, including a state-of-the-art fitness center, an engaging civic plaza, a courtyard with a grilling station, fire pit, and water feature, as well as the rooftop amenity in The Annex Group building.

During the ceremony, Rebar CEO Shelby Bowen announced that Tom Dickey, formerly the head of Planning for the City of Fishers, is joining the Rebar staff.

Did you know there are more than 250 Homeowners Associations (HOAs) in Fishers?  Let’s just say all of them did not show up for a Wednesday morning gathering sponsored by the City of Fishers, but HOA presidents and board members filled the Launch Fishers Theatre as they peppered Mayor Scott Fadness and his department heads with questions.

The mayor addressed a number of issues in his presentation and the HOA officials had many questions, but the issue of trash collection costs was raised by the mayor.  He told the story of how he, as the Fishers Town Manager in 2013, held a public meeting about the low bidder to provide trash collection service for a city-wide contract of less than $10 a month.  Fadness expected residents to be happy about this.

The public meeting on the subject in 2013 was nothing of the sort.  “I got ripped apart,” Fadness said.  “Someone accused me of being a part of the mafia.”

Once the Town of Fishers ditched the idea of a city-wide trash collection contract, it never came up until City Councilor David Giffel raised the issue last year.  That began a process.

The mayor’s staff, after public pressure lately due to increases in fees by the only 2 trash companies (mostly) operating in Fishers, is working on a Request for Proposals (RFP) providing what the city expects when it is ready to accept bids for a city-wide trash collection contract.  Fadness told the HOA officials that is what the city can do, just to see what the market will provide in bids.

The mayor says once the bids are in, then a public discussion can be held on whether or not the city should move forward on a city trash collection contract.

The HOA confab started at 8:30am and was scheduled to wrap-up around noon.

Officials from several city departments provided presentations, including police, fire, emergency services, building inspection, planning & zoning, engineering, health and community outreach.

If you have seen the construction site that is the new Fishers City Hall, which will be officially named the Fishers Municipal Center, containing the Fishers Arts Center on one part of the structure and the Theatre/Administrative side, the building is coming along nicely.  It appears city staff will be moving into the new facility soon.

Deputy Mayor Elliott Hultgren tells LarryInFishers city staff members will begin moving into the new City Hall in late April, but most of the staff will begin taking up residence in the new building during the month of May.

Fishers City Council meetings have been conducted at Launch Fishers during the construction period.  Hultgren expects only 2 more monthly Council sessions (March & April) at Launch before the Council moves into the City Hall Theatre in May for its regular meetings.

Anyone requesting copies of videos recorded by the Fishers Police Department will be paying a higher fee following a unanimous vote Monday night by the City Council.

Pollce Chief Ed Gebhart told Councilors the increased fees reflect pay increases provided his staff in 2024

The Council was scheduled for a first reading, but Councilor Pete Peterson called for a suspension of the rules for a final vote, requiring a unanimous vote, which was approved, allowing the new fee schedule to be implemented immediately.  Below is the new fee schedule:

In other items before the Council Monday night:

–Traders Point Church will be allowed to expand, following approval of rezoning property adjacent to the church.

–Councilors approved updates to the city’s Comprehensive Plan.  Planning & Zoning Director Ross Hilleary told the Council 440 building permits were issued by the city in 2023, and as of last year there were 820 acres of park space in Fishers.

–Fishers’ Assistant Police Chief Luke Gannon was honored at the Council meeting for 25 years of service in the department.  Chief Gebhart pointed to the many duties Gannon has had working for Fishers Police, including work in the DNA program and his efforts in getting illegal firearms off the streets of Fishers.

The Fishers  Department of Fire and Emergency Services held their Awards Ceremony February 17, hosted by Heartland Church in Fishers.

Here are the award winners, as provided by the Fishers Fire & Emergency Services:

Continue reading Fishers Fire & Emergency Services Department hands out awards →

It was 1983 and I was working the night shift for Network Indiana radio and available to cover spot news that evening.  I was assigned to be at the airport to join the media scrum there meeting Mayor Bill Hudnut as he returned from a trip to New York City, huddling with the NBA Commissioner David Stern.  There was speculation the Pacers might be moving out of Indy.

I recall Hudnut’s media person half-joking he hoped the mayor was actually on the flight.  Yes, he was and we all gathered around Hudnut as he departed the plane (the security rules were different then).  The television reporters always pushed themselves to the front of the pack, closer to the mayor, at events like these.  No one ever told  me why, protocol I guess.

As the mayor began speaking, I felt a strange sensation around my feet.  Turns out, one young television reporter was late and she decided to crawl under the rest of us to take her spot up front.

Mayor Hudnut told us the Pacers had a local buyer for the franchise but would not identify the buyer at that time.  A few days later, it became clear Mel and Herb Simon, local mall developers and real estate people, came forward when other wealthy local people took a pass on buying the Pacers.

Mel Simon passed away years ago, but his brother Herb is still with us and he continues to own the Pacers, although his son David has taken-on many of the owner duties.

The reason I write about this now is an announcement made during NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis.  Herb Simon is a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.  The Naismith is THE basketball Hall of Fame.  Simon is a candidate in the contributor category.

If any contributor to the game of basketball deserves Hall of Fame recognition, it is Herb Simon.  He has been one of the most respected NBA owners for a long time.

We will know whether Herb Simon is selected for the Naismith Hall of Fame by April 6, with enshrinement April 17.  If the Hall of Fame voters look carefully at the record, this should not be a close call.  Herb Simon belongs in the Naismith Hall of Fame.

It was an unusual caucus election because two former colleagues on the Fishers City Council, Jocelyn Vare and Crystal Neumann, both were vying for the job of Hamilton County Democratic Chair.  The caucus of 108 precinct officials Saturday afternoon elected Vare by a 2-vote margin.

Vare says she will begin recruiting candidates for Hamilton County Commissioner and County Council.  No Democrat filed for Commissioner during the filing period and only one candidate filed for County Council.

Vare will replace Dayna Colbert, who resigned from the chair position after accepting a staff position with the state Democratic Party.

I spoke with Jocelyn Vare and Crystal Neumann shortly after the caucus, in the video linked above, where Neumann vowed to support Vare as Democratic County Chair.

If you have a sweet tooth, Fishers is offering even more to satisfy you.  I just posted a story about the Parlor Donuts shop that just opened in Fishers.  Now, we have a new chocolate and ice cream store on the way, Kilwins.

The location will be in the Whistle Drive building currently under construction between Torchy’s Tacos and Bibibop in Fishers District.  Kilwins is expecting to open in the fall of this year.

The Kilwins news release says the brand “is famous for its assortment of hand-crafted chocolates, creamy, hand-paddled fudge, caramel apples, caramel corn and brittle, chocolate-dipped treats, and premium ice cream, all made with the finest ingredients. With a rich history dating back to 1947, Kilwins has been delighting communities with their irresistible confections for over 75 years.”

Mayor Scott Fadness even weighed-in on Kilwins coming to Fishers.

“We are delighted to welcome Kilwins to our vibrant and growing city,” Fadness said in the Kilwins news release. “Their commitment to quality, friendliness, and creating a
warm, inviting atmosphere aligns perfectly with Fishers’ values. We believe that Kilwins will quickly become a beloved destination for residents and visitors alike.”

Kilwins plans to allow customers to watch the products being made, in a way that old-fashioned confectionaries were designed.

How many know about the Robert Settlement? It was a group of African-American farmers that ran out of land in Rush County and headed to the frontier of northern Hamilton County during the first part of the 19th Century.  They settled in an area just outside of the present-day Town of Atlanta.  A building from that era is being preserved for a remembrance of that settlement.

That was one thing I learned when visiting the 16th Annual Black Heritage Celebration at Fishers High School Thursday night.  It was sponsored by the Future Black Leaders.

A booth from the Hamilton East Library spotlighted an African-American auto racing series held at a number of Indiana race tracks, including the legendary Winchester Speedway.  African Americans were not welcome in the racing of the early 20th Century, but there was a very popular series featuring some famous black drivers and racing teams.

There were many booths where one could learn more about local Black Heritage.  There were also booths featuring Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs), along with black fraternities and sororities.

And, of course, there was music.  There was a good and diverse crowd on hand for the celebration.

Here are a few photos:

Hamilton County Democrats will caucus Saturday in Carmel to select a new county chair, and the 2 candidates are both former Fishers City Councilors.

Dayna Colbert, the outgoing Hamilton County Democratic Chair, tells LarryInFishers the candidates before the precinct officials in that caucus will be Jocelyn Vare and Crystal Neumann.  Both served one term on the Fishers City Council and both lost close races for re-election last year.

Dayna Colbert is leaving her position as Hamilton County Democratic Chair to take a staff position with the Indiana state Democratic Party at its Indianapolis headquarters.